Catatonia is a psychomotor syndrome that has been reported to occur in more than 10% of patients with acute psychiatric illnesses. Two subtypes of the syndrome have been identified. Catatonia of the retarded type is c...Catatonia is a psychomotor syndrome that has been reported to occur in more than 10% of patients with acute psychiatric illnesses. Two subtypes of the syndrome have been identified. Catatonia of the retarded type is characterized by immobility, mutism, staring, rigidity, and a host of other clinical signs. Excited catatonia is a less common presentation in which patients develop prolonged periods of psychomotor agitation. Once thought to be a subtype of schizophrenia, catatonia is now recognized to occur with a broad spectrum of medical and psychiatric illnesses, particularly affective disorders. In many cases, the catatonia must be treated before any underlying conditions can be accurately diagnosed. Most patients with the syndrome respond rapidly to low-dose benzodiazepines, but electroconvulsive therapy is occasionally required. Patients with longstanding catatonia or a diagnosis of schizophrenia may be less likely to respond. The pathobiology of catatonia is poorly understood, although abnormalities in gamma-aminobutyric acid and glutamate signaling have been suggested as causative factors. Because catatonia is common, highly treatable, and associated with significant morbidity and mortality if left untreated, physicians should maintain a high level of suspicion for this complex clinical syndrome. Since 1989, we have systematically assessed patients presenting to our psychiatry service with signs of retarded catatonia. In this paper, we present a review of the current literature on catatonia along with findings from the 220 cases we have assessed and treated.展开更多
The Coronavirus Disease 2019(COVID-19)has been characterized as the first pandemic caused by a novel coronavirus and drawn intense attention in China and globally.With the incidence and mortality rates of COVID-19 rap...The Coronavirus Disease 2019(COVID-19)has been characterized as the first pandemic caused by a novel coronavirus and drawn intense attention in China and globally.With the incidence and mortality rates of COVID-19 rapidly growing worldwide,people have been experiencing tremendous psychological distress during the pandemic.Elevated psychological stress could compromise the human capacity to fight against COVID-19.However,effective interventions and timely mental health care to increase resilience and improve psychological wel being is still lacking,which would be the focus of this article.In this article,we briefly summarize why meditation practice may have the potential to help minimize stress-related psychological symptoms associated with the coronavirus outbreak and how we can respond efficiently and effectively to this outbreak via taking advantage of meditation.We also provide a brief introduction of a meditation program that we developed and advocate to popularize meditation practice as a viable approach to improve wellbeing while combatting COVID-19 worldwide.展开更多
文摘Catatonia is a psychomotor syndrome that has been reported to occur in more than 10% of patients with acute psychiatric illnesses. Two subtypes of the syndrome have been identified. Catatonia of the retarded type is characterized by immobility, mutism, staring, rigidity, and a host of other clinical signs. Excited catatonia is a less common presentation in which patients develop prolonged periods of psychomotor agitation. Once thought to be a subtype of schizophrenia, catatonia is now recognized to occur with a broad spectrum of medical and psychiatric illnesses, particularly affective disorders. In many cases, the catatonia must be treated before any underlying conditions can be accurately diagnosed. Most patients with the syndrome respond rapidly to low-dose benzodiazepines, but electroconvulsive therapy is occasionally required. Patients with longstanding catatonia or a diagnosis of schizophrenia may be less likely to respond. The pathobiology of catatonia is poorly understood, although abnormalities in gamma-aminobutyric acid and glutamate signaling have been suggested as causative factors. Because catatonia is common, highly treatable, and associated with significant morbidity and mortality if left untreated, physicians should maintain a high level of suspicion for this complex clinical syndrome. Since 1989, we have systematically assessed patients presenting to our psychiatry service with signs of retarded catatonia. In this paper, we present a review of the current literature on catatonia along with findings from the 220 cases we have assessed and treated.
基金supported by the Emergency Scientific Research program of Preventing or Treating COVID-19 of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine(2019YJ1201)the Scientific Research Program on Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19 with Traditional Chinese Medicine of Shanghai Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine(2020XGKY15)Art Project of National Social Science Foundation(No.16BD050)。
文摘The Coronavirus Disease 2019(COVID-19)has been characterized as the first pandemic caused by a novel coronavirus and drawn intense attention in China and globally.With the incidence and mortality rates of COVID-19 rapidly growing worldwide,people have been experiencing tremendous psychological distress during the pandemic.Elevated psychological stress could compromise the human capacity to fight against COVID-19.However,effective interventions and timely mental health care to increase resilience and improve psychological wel being is still lacking,which would be the focus of this article.In this article,we briefly summarize why meditation practice may have the potential to help minimize stress-related psychological symptoms associated with the coronavirus outbreak and how we can respond efficiently and effectively to this outbreak via taking advantage of meditation.We also provide a brief introduction of a meditation program that we developed and advocate to popularize meditation practice as a viable approach to improve wellbeing while combatting COVID-19 worldwide.
